Mold for forming irregular bricks and tiles.



W. J. VOLZ. MOLD FOR FORMING IRREGULAR BRICKS AND TILES. APPLIOATIION TILED MAY 7, 1912. 1 068 6 1 3. Patented July 29, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1 COLUMBIA PLANDCIRAPH CO.,WASYHINGTDN, n c.

W. J. VOLZ. MOLD FOR FORMING IRREGULAR BRICKS AND TILES.

. APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1912. 1,068,613

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CD" WASHINGTON. D. C.

Patented July 29, 1913.

WILLIAM J. VOLZ. OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MOLD FOR FORMING IRREGULAR BRICKS AND TILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29,1913.

Application filed May 7, 1912. Serial No. 695,609.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, l VILLIAM J. Vonz, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Molds for Forming Irregular Bricks and Tiles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to molds such as are used in brick and tile-making machines.

One object of my invention is to provide a mold of novel construction in which some of the side dies move automatically out of engagement with the tile or brick being formed when the bottom die of the mold moves up wardly, thereby overcoming the necessity of manually moving the side dies out of engagement with the article being formed when said article is of irregular shape, prior to removing the article from the mold.

Another object is to provide a mold of the character described in which the bottom die of the mold is equipped with a removable plate that adheres to the tile or brick when it is removed from the mold, thereby permitting the article to be handled conveniently while it is still in a wet or semi-plastic condition, and also making it possible to form bricks or tiles provided on their bottom faces with grooves or recesses having undercut walls. And still another object is to provide a mold for the purpose described that consists of a stationary frame provided with side liners or dies that form two of the side faces of the article, a bottom die which is adapted to be moved upwardly through said frame when the article is to be removed from the mold, movable side dies arranged in said frame and preferably provided with recesses or grooves that form irregularshaped projections on two of the side faces of the article, and means for automatically moving said movable dies out of engagement with the article when the bottom die moves upwardly.

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of a mold constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an end eleva tional view of same partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the mold showing it filled with material from which the brick or tile is formed; Fig. a is a similar view showing the bottom die raised and the movable side dies separated; and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View illustrating another type of plate that may be used on the bottom die to form the bottom face of the article.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A deslgnates a stationary frame that is adapted to be arranged in operative position in a brick or tile-making machine, said frame comprising two vertically disposed parallel side pieces 1 and two end pieces 2 which are inclined downwardly and inwardly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4E. The frame A is provided with two side liners or dies 8 that are permanently secured by bolts or other suitable fastening devices f to the side pieces 1 of the frame so as to form two of the side faces of the article B that is formed in the mold, and the other side faces of said article are formed by movable dies C which comprise means for moving them automatically out of engagement with the article B when the bottom die D of the mold is moved upwardly through the frame A, as shown in Fig. 4, the movable side dies C being preferably provided with horizontally disposed re cesses or grooves c that form ribs or projections b on the article B, as shown in Fig. 1. Each of the movable dies G preferably consists of a plate or casting that is provided on its rear side with a plurality of lugs 0 which are detachably connected to a member 5 that rests upon one of the inclined end walls 2 of the frame A when the dies are closed or in the position shown in Fig. 3, the bottom die D being so proportioned that it will completely close the lower end of the frame A when it is in its lowermost position. The movable side dies C lap over the bottom die I), as shown in Fig. 3, and consequently when said bottom die moves upwardly it will impart upward movement to the side dies O. The means which I prefer to use for causing the side dies C to move automatically out of engagement with the article 13 formed in the mold, consists of depending arms or guides 6 on the inclined members 5 that carry the side dies which are arranged in inclined guideways 7 formed in the side pieces 1 of the stationary frame A,

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as shown clearly in Fig. 4e. Vhen the bottom die D moves the side dies C upwardly the inclined guides 6 on the members 5 cause said side dies C to move outwardly simultaneously or away from the article B, thus permitting the article B to be removed without manually withdrawing the side dies C from engagement with said article as would be necessary if the article being formed was of irregular shape or provided with laterally projecting flanges Z), as herelVhen the bottom die D is lowered or restored to normal position gravity causes the side dies G to move downwardly or back into operative position in the stationary frame A.

Instead of having the top face of the bottom die D act directly upon the article formed in the mold, as has heretofore been the general practice with molds used for the purpose above described, I provide the bottom die D with a removable plate 8 which adheres to the bottom face of the article B when it is removed from the mold, said plate 8 being so proportioned that it will fit snugly between the side liners 3 and between the lower edge portions of the movable dies C when the material in the mold is being compressed. Means is provided for holding the side dies C slightly above the bottom die D when the material is introduced into the mold so that the plate 8 can move upwardly slightly between the side dies and liners C and 3, respectively, and thus compress the material or force it into the recesses 0 in the side dies before said side dies C start to move upwardly with the bottom die. The means herein shown for accomplishing this, namely, for holding the side dies C spaced slightly away from the bottom die D when the dies are arranged in position to receive the material, consists of stops 6 on the upper ends of the guide members 6 that contact with shoulders 7* on the side pieces 1 of the stationary frame A and thus limit the downward movement of the side dies C when the bottom die D is lowered but it will, of course, be understood that various other means could be used for this purpose without departing from the spirit of my invention.

After the side dies C have been separated automatically in the manner previously described, the article B with the plate 8 adhering to the bottom face of same is removed from the mold, said plate 8 permit ting the article to be handled conveniently even if it is wet or in a semi-plastic condition. Another advantage of using a separate or removable plate on the bottom die D is that articles provided on their bottom faces with undercut grooves or recesses can be formed easily. That is to say, if it is desired to form a brick or tile provided on its bottom face with recesses or grooves having undercut walls such, for example, as T- shaped grooves, a bottom plate 8 provided with T-shaped ribs 8 can be arranged on the bottom die D, as shown in Fig. 5. In view of the fact that said plate 8" is removed from the mold with the article, said plate can be drawn out of the article easily after the article has been placed on end.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a mold of the construction above-described overcomes the necessity of manually drawing certain of the side dies from engagement with the article when the article formed in the mold is of irregular-shape or provided with laterally projecting ribs or flanges b that would prevent it from being withdrawn vertically from the mold without first separating the side dies. Another advantage of such a mold is that it enables the articles to be removed from the mold and handled conveniently while they are still wet or in a semi-plastic state; and still another desirable feature is that an article provided on its bottom face with undercut grooves or recesses can be formed as rapidly as a smooth-faced article owing to the fact that it is not necessary to let the article remain in the mold until it has become dry enough to withdraw it from the projections or ribs that form the grooves in the bottom face thereof. In view of the fact that the side dies G are detachably connected to the members 5 by screws 9 or other suitable fastening devices that enter the lugs c on the side dies, shims or liners, not shown, may be interposed between the lugs 0 and the members 5 so as to bring the side dies closer together and thus reduce the size of the article formed in the mold. Consequently, a mold of the construction above-described may beused for forming different-sized articles by merely changing the adjustment of the side dies 0. y y Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is j l. A mold for the purpose described,comprising stationary side dies, movable side dies, a vertical movable bottom die arranged to engage said movable side dies and move them" upwardly with relation to said stationary side dies, and inclined guideson said movable side dies that cooperate with inclined guideways so as to cause said movable side dies to move out of engagement with the article when the bottom die moves upwardly. v

2. A mold for the purpose described, comprising a stationary frame provided with side dies, a movable bottom die for supporting a removable plate which is adapted to be removed with the article from the mold, inclined members provided with inclined guides that fit in guideways insaid frame, grooved dies on said inclined members, said dies being so arranged that they will loe In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my moved upwardly by said bottom die, and signature in the presence of two witnesses, means for limiting the downward movethis twenty third day of April 1912.

ment of said grooved dies and holding them WILLIAM J. VOLZ. spaced slightly away from said bottom die Witnesses:

when the material is introduced into the WELLS L. CHURCH,

mold. GEORGE BAKEWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

